Mrs. Dalloway chronicles a day in the life of upper-class society involving Clarissa Dalloway and her friends, living in London after the First World War. This passage is set in Regent's Park as Septimus Smith, a World War I veteran suffering from shell shock, and his wife Rezia waiting to see the psychiatrist William Bradshaw. The difficulties of Septimus's daily life are seen as he tries to emerge from a hallucination and return to the harsh light of London day. Despite being mentally ill and struggling with guilt over the loss of his best friend Evans, Septimus has great moments of clarity, as he is able to recognize the beauty that surrounds him. The use of repetition demonstrates Septimus' ongoing battles with time as he continues to revisit the battlefield and the only way to move away from those horrors is to live in the moment, appreciating that "beauty is everywhere". A continuous sense of movement throughout the piece is evoked through the use of kinetic verbs, it demonstrates that time cannot be held back and Septimus must continue to move forward despite his past. Septimus struggles as he tries to live in reality. Every time he opens his eyes, he feels fear because life is moving too fast for him. The terrors of war prevent him from looking forward. However, as he sits in the park, the view around him overwhelms him. The use of anaphora “put a strain; he pushed; looked” at the beginning of the passage demonstrates Septimus’ struggling thought process as he tries to open his eyes to the harsh realities of life but instead gets stuck admiring the intricate details of the park. The constant personification of nature as “sunlight[ing]” and “the trees swaying” suggests that nature is very much alive, just like him or us. The world if...... middle of paper ...... magical moment makes him not want to disappear from the splendor that the world has to offer, as he will try to continue living. This passage embodies hope for Septimius Smith. The horrible memories of the war have caused Septimus to feel deep pain and guilt. He struggles to live in the present as he always returns to the past. Despite this, Septimus can find peace and comfort by surrounding himself with nature and focusing on the small details of its beauty. Unfortunately, though, Evans is coming, whether Septimus wants him or not. There is no holding back time, no matter how hard Septimus tries. The past fails to escape him, which later foreshadows his suicide. But in this moment, Septimus Smith is able to remove that fear that weighed on him at the beginning of the song as he sings and rejoices in an immortal ode to Time..